


The Real Thing

by Creed Cascade (creedcascade)



Category: Torchwood
Genre: Alternate Reality, Backstory: Ianto Jones, M/M, Not Canon Compliant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-11-11
Updated: 2011-11-11
Packaged: 2017-10-25 22:33:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/275570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/creedcascade/pseuds/Creed%20Cascade
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ianto meets Captain Jack Harkness.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Real Thing

**Author's Note:**

> Written before I knew how Ianto met (stalked) Jack, therefore, now now alternate universe.

The young man stood up when Jack came into the tourist information centre. He was wearing an impeccably tailored suit and carrying a black leather brief case. "Captain Harkness?"

Jack immediately gave him the once over and flirty grin. The dark hair with pale colouring and soft pitch of his voice instantly identified him as Welsh. Jack loved the Welsh.

"The one and only." He reached out to shake the young man's hand, keeping a hold of it a tad bit longer than necessary. "And you are?"

"Ianto Jones, sir. I received my orders to report here."

"Oh, did you now?"

This Ianto didn't seem to be responding to Jack's charm. He merely nodded and considered Jack with a solemn, serious expression. "Yes, sir."

Jack decided he especially liked this sombre Welshman with the sad eyes. "And how did you know it was me, Mr. Ianto Jones?"

"I wish I could say I was briefed by Torchwood One, but..." Ianto paled a little when headquarters was brought up. "You're American, dressed in period regalia and in the appropriate location. It wasn’t a great leap of logic."

The hierarchy of Torchwood was decimated after the Battle of Canary Wharf. The boy had probably received a brief communication to report the Cardiff branch with no further follow through. Jack had thought what was left of the organization would try to control him by sending someone, but looking at this young man, he knew that wasn’t a danger. The truth was, he had been expecting Ianto Jones.

"Ah..." Jack's chuckled under his breath and then tapped his temple. "A real thinker. Your file said you were..." Jack lowered his voice to sound somewhat official. "...reasonably well suited to fill the needs of Torchwood Three." His voice lightened again and he stepped closer, leaning in to whisper into Ianto's ear. "Sarcasm is definitely a good start. What else can you do, Mr. Jones?"

Ianto took a step back, his back hitting the wall. "I... well, I'm trained as an archivist, sir. I’m familiar with all of Torchwood’s policies and history."

Jack moved closer to Ianto now that there was no escape. "I'm not sure that's good enough. You see, here at Torchwood Three, we need to be..." Jack licked his lips. "Multi-talented. We’re under funded and short staffed. Your file said you didn’t do fieldwork. Why would I need a bureaucrat?”

Jack was like one of those malicious children with a magnifying glass tormenting and testing little ants. Even though Ianto broke eye contact, he hadn’t fled despite being clearly uncomfortable. When he answered, his voice was quiet, but firm, “Because you are not a bureaucrat. While you’re out in the field, you need someone to tend to the mundane.”

“One more chance to convince me, Mr. Jones…”

“You need someone to clean up your shit. No questions asked. That’s me.” Jack made an appreciative noise in the back of his throat at Ianto’s truthfulness. “And I make a stellar cup of coffee.” Now Jack’s breath caught like Ianto had something dirty. Ianto pushed on Jack’s chest and stepped away from him. He straightened his tie and tugged at his suit, wearing a smirk. “You weren’t the only one who did their research, Captain. Do I have the job?”

“I want to taste your coffee first…”

“After I start inventory I’ll pick up a decent coffee machine. I refuse to use anything but the best.”

“A man after my own heart.” Jack did a short bow with a hand flourish motioning towards the door towards the Hub. “I think you’ll do.”

Ianto glared at Gwen as she stumbled into the tourist office. For a moment he thought it was an emergency, but the look on her face was one of pure excitement and joy.

“Gwen, I’ve told you a million times…”

“Stuff it, Ianto!” Gwen rushed over to Ianto and pulled him into a quick hug with a stupid grin plastered on her face. “He’s back!”

Ianto let her hug him, even if he didn’t respond. He just blinked and stammered out, “Where is he?”

Gwen kept a hold of Ianto by the shoulders and pulled away to answer. “A fighter plane came out of the rift and crashed. One survivor. We just got a report saying there’s a man dressed in World War Two era uniform saying he’s Captain Jack Harkness.”

When Ianto had thought of Jack returning, he had thought he would rush into action. But his limbs and brain didn’t seem to want to work. “Oh.”

Gwen laughed and kissed Ianto on the check. “He’s back!” She grabbed Ianto’s hand and started to tug him towards the door. “Let’s go. Owen and Tosh are getting the SUV.” When Ianto’s gaze lingered on the door, Gwen read his thoughts. “Don’t worry, I locked up the Hub. Let’s go!”

And so the Team went to reclaim their Captain.

++++++

The flaming wreckage could be seen for quite a distance, lighting up the night sky around the crash site.

“The fire should take care of any immediate need to dispose any evidence,” Ianto’s voice sounded cold and practical, but inside his mind was screaming. He wanted to yell at Owen to drive more quickly even though the man had broken every speed limit getting to the crash site.

There were a few emergency vehicles present, their flashing lights a reminder that the outsiders would intrude on their reunion. Owen pulled the SUV next to the only police vehicle and even from a distance, Ianto could make out dark hair and military uniform even with his back turned. The engine wasn’t even off before the team had opened the doors and were running towards him.

Gwen called out so loudly that her voice broke, “Jack!”

The figure turned and Ianto felt his heart break.

Gwen spoke the thought that passed through everyone’s mind. “It’s not Jack…”

It was a tall man with dark hair, dressed in a pilot’s uniform from World War Two. Owen drew his weapon and had it pointed at the man’s chest as he came around the front of the police vehicle. “Identify yourself.”

The man’s body language became defensive instantly. “Captain Jack Harkness. Royal Air Force.” As the team came up behind Owen, the man saw Tosh and recognized her, “Toshiko?” He started to look around and asked, “Where’s James? Captain Harper?”

“Captain Harkness…” Toshiko stepped forward and put her hand on Owen’s arm. “It’s okay, Owen. He’s a friend.”

The Constable looked doubtful and interrupted them. “So, you know this man?”

Tosh looked sad, but nodded, “Yes… yes, I do.”

“Ma’am…” The Constable was looking at the man’s singed uniform for the curiosity it was. “I don’t think this bloke is right in the head.”

Unlike their Jack, who seemed to make his uniform stylish and not odd at all, this man… this man was dressed in a flight uniform, burnt and torn from the crash. He was out of place. A remnant from the past ripped from another time.

Tosh pulled out her Torchwood identification and flashed it at the Constable, her demeanour loosing her initial shock and becoming pure business. “We’re with Torchwood.”

“But, he…” The Constable motioned at the Captain.

“Classified, Constable.”

“But, the plane…”

“Classified,” Tosh repeated and was motioning towards the Captain Harkness. “This never happened. Radio dispatch that any personnel in route are to be called back. The fire’s out, so Fire and Rescue will be pulling out as well.”

The Constable did not look pleased and was reaching for his radio. “But…”

That’s when Owen stepped in, still brandishing his weapon. “If you like your job even the smallest bit, mate, I suggest you shut your yap. This was an accident from an American movie about the war. You know how those Yanks are about bad press. If you yap, then they’ll slap you with so many international lawsuits for liable it’ll make your head spin. Forget you ever saw that plane, this man, or us.” The Constable paled a bit and Owen grinned. He patted the cop’s cheek. “There’s a good lad. Now get.”

The Constable got back in his patrol car and started the engine. Owen turned and focused his attention on Tosh and the Captain. “Who in the hell…”

Ianto stepped in front of Owen. “Not here, get in the SUV. We have to get back the Hub.”

“We don’t even know who…” Owen eyed the Captain warily. “Or, what he is.”

“I told you, my name is Captain Jack Harkness with the RAF. Captain Harper can vouch for me...” Then something seemed to occur to him and he turned to Tosh, his expression turning bleak. “Is James… is he, okay?”

Tosh tensed, but tried to smile at the Captain. For him it would only be yesterday that Jack had left him. “James… isn’t available at the moment. We’re expecting him back any time really. Please, come with us and we’ll explain everything. Trust me… please?”

The man looked weary and still a little in shock from the crash. His posture straightened and he answered with a tight expression on his face. “I don’t have a choice.” When they were in the SUV, Captain Harkness was riding in the back seat between Ianto and Toshiko. He kept looking at the SUV and out the window. “What year is it?”

Tosh sighed and shook her head. “I think it’s best if we deal with this later.”

Something about the desperate, haunted look on the man’s face called to Ianto. He wasn’t sure why he said it, but he did. “It’s 2008.”

The man didn’t gasp, but merely took it in with a quiet acceptance. He nodded and turned to Ianto, “Thank you.”

The odd silence continued for a few minutes before the Captain spoke again. “Just tell me one more thing… please, tell me we won.”

It was Ianto answered again. “We did.”

A fraction of the man’s unease faded and he nodded once. “Good to know.”

He kept silent and stoic for the rest of the ride back to the Hub. When they got back to the Hub, Tosh insisted on tending to the Captain’s injuries before any questions. She had barely cut away the sleeve of his shirt when Owen started in.

“What’s the last thing you remember?”

“I was in a fire fight. My plane took heavy fire…” His breath caught reliving the moment he thought was his death. “There was smoke… and a bright light. Next thing I know, the plane had crashed. It was night when it shouldn’t be… I was alive and here. I don’t think I’m supposed to be either.”

Owen made a displeased noise in the back of his nose. Gwen rolled her eyes at him. “What? He looks human enough. It’s the same thing that happened with the Sky Gypsy.”

“Well, Diane wasn’t claiming to be something she wasn’t.”

Tosh started to gently examine the burns and wounds on the Captain’s arm. “He’s not lying. He is Captain Jack Harkness, just not the one you know.” She met the Captain’s gaze. “I’m not going to let this get anymore out of hand, so please hear me out. The man you know as Captain James Harper, is a man we know as Captain Jack Harkness.”

The Captain blinked, but didn’t react other wise. “Excuse me?”

“From what he told me, he took your name for cover. If you want a deeper explanation than that, you’ll have to wait until we see him again. All that you have to know is that…” She hesitated and took a deep breath. There were many things she wanted to tell him after witnessing the kiss he shared with Jack, but she knew it wasn’t her place. Some strange play of the universe had brought him here. “He cares for you. He’s done everything in his power to do well by your name.”

The Captain was silent and merely nodded. They waited to see if he would say anything else, but when he didn’t, there was an understanding that he was trying to take it all in. Tosh continued to tend to his wounds.

Owen seemed satisfied enough now that the Captain was an immediate threat. “Tosh, when you finish up with him, I need you monitoring the rift activity. See how he got in. Gwen, I want you to go down and liaise with the locals again. Damage control. Feed them the line that the plane crash was an accident from a movie about the war.”

Gwen hesitated and looked at the Captain. “But, I…”

“That’s an order, Gwen,” Owen snapped at her. Jack had only been gone three weeks, but Owen had become his self-appointed replacement.

Gwen mumbled, “Wanker”, under her breath, but left to tend to her assigned duties.

Owen turned and pointed at Ianto. “Make yourself useful and stay with him. Don’t let him out of your sight while the rest of us do some real work.” He stepped even closer into Ianto’s personal space and poked his chest. “Anything goes wrong with him, I blame you.”

Ianto just stared back at Owen with that impassive mask and nodded. Owen left to tend to whatever duties he thought worthy of himself, but Ianto was glad to see they took him away from the main portion of the Hub. Ianto watched as Tosh finished cleaning and bandaging the wounds. Ianto had seen enough bloodshed to know the burns and cuts would be painful, but not permanent or life threatening damage.

“If you’ll please follow me, I can make sure you get clean clothing and a place to wash up.”

The Captain got up and followed Ianto to the change rooms where he kept a variety of clothing stocked just for such an occasion. While the Captain washed away soot and blood from his face and hair in the sink, Ianto selected a pair jeans, white shirt and warm grey sweater. It wasn’t authentic to his time period, but it would be comfortable and not too unfamiliar.

Ianto took the neatly folded pile and set them on a shelf next to the sink. There was no denying a certain awkwardness. Captain Jack Harkness, the real one apparently, shared many of the same characteristics that made his Jack. They shared an easy charisma and charm that made them natural leaders. But this stranger had a formalness and edge that his Jack never had. Where his Jack flirted with almost everything on two legs within seconds of meeting or even just eye contact, this man was more guarded.

As much as he would like to give the man privacy, he couldn’t deny the need to keep an eye on him. He walked as far away as he could and turned just enough to give the Captain the pretence of privacy. The man took off his ruined uniform and even though it was in a terrible state, folded it and set it on the shelf. Ianto had to admit he liked that the Captain respected his uniform.

Ianto caught a glimpse through a mirror as the man stripped down to his white boxer shorts. He saw a strong back and evidence of muscle from training for the war. Ianto felt he was doing his duty by keeping an eye on the man, but then the Captain turned just as he was buttoning the jeans. He had no shirt on and caught Ianto’s gaze in the mirror. Ianto felt uncomfortable, even though Ianto saw a hint of a smile on the man’s face before Ianto turned.

“So, you’re one of his men?”

Ianto quickly turned, taken aback by the question. He knew that this man was the reason Jack had mourned after coming back from the past. That question put it all into context. “That is none of your business.”

The Captain pulled on the plain white t-shirt. “I think it is.”

“Oh?” Ianto crossed his arms over his chest. “How so?”

“The man I knew is apparently your Captain. I think that’s important to know.”

“Right. Of course.” The man was referring to his professional relationship with Jack, not his personal one. “Yes, I work for him.”

The Captain pulled on the grey sweater next and followed with his heavy boots. Once he had it on, he smoothed it out and turned to Ianto, holding out his hand. “I figure to avoid a whole lot of confusion, you can call me John. It’s my birth name.”

Ianto felt a slight unease, but shook the Captain’s hand. He figured this informality must be innate to Americans. “Perhaps not.”

“And why’s that?”

“Ianto’s a nickname for Ifan.” Ianto looked down briefly and then up at John with a shy smile on his lips. “It’s Welsh for John.”

John laughed out loud. In this strange place and time, this man had given him the comfort of humour. John kept Ianto’s hand in his. “Nice to meet you Ifan…” He completely mangled the pronunciation and with a soft chuckle repeated, “John.”

Ianto looked down again, feeling a blush rising to his cheeks. John’s other hand had come to linger on his. “It’s Ianto. Ianto Jones.”

John finally let go of Ianto’s hand. “This place. Is it some sort of army base?”

“In a manner of speaking yet.” Ianto decided a certain amount of truth was due if they wanted this man’s cooperation. “We’re in special ops.”

“James…” John started, but then stopped himself. “Jack, I guess I should call him Jack. That sort of makes sense. He was…”

“He is,” Ianto corrected. He refused to let anyone talk about Jack in the past tense. “He is an extraordinary man.”

“Yes…” John agreed. “That he is.”

Ianto knew then by his smile that the man had shared something with Jack. And Ianto wanted to hate him for that, but he was finding that hard to do. “Jack is away on a mission.”

John’s bittersweet expression softened a bit. He seemed to be studying Ianto as much as Ianto was studying him. “Let me guess, need to know basis?”

“Yes,” Ianto nodded curtly. He couldn’t manage to keep his own bitterness out of his voice. “And only he needs to know.”

The two men stood there in silence, sizing one another up. Finally it was John would who sighed and laughed. His laugh was low and tense as he ran his hands through his hair. “This is all so strange.”

“How very perceptive of you.”

John kept chuckled and shook his head. “I suppose it’s better than being dead.”

“Perhaps I should have Toshiko look you over again.” Ianto’s brow drew together in worry. His laugh was disconcerting. Ianto started to think that about when the last time the man had eaten or even slept. “You might be going into shock. I think you should have a glass of water.”

“I’m sorry.” John’s last chuckle died into a heavy sigh. “It’s just a lot to deal with. I only met him last night… he looked at me so strangely before he disappeared into that light… made me realise…” John was struggling for words. “My men saw us. They looked at me differently after he left. Like I was worse than a Nazi for being queer. In the battle, their responses were delayed and they questioned my commands. As if I they thought I was better off dead than being their Captain. I wonder if it’s because I’m…”

Ianto felt both sympathy and uneasy aversion for the man. He didn’t want to hear that Jack had been caught with him doing anything intimate. And yet John was in turmoil and Ianto couldn’t help but respond. He stepped closer and took John by the elbow, guiding him towards the door. “Do you drink coffee… John?” Ianto hesitated at using the name, but he had to call the man something.

John looked lost and weary. “I do, but I don’t suppose you have any tea?”

Ianto wasn’t sure why that made him smile, but it did.

END.


End file.
